Former sheriff's deputy and far-right "Tea Party" Republican elected Governor of Mississippi in 2011, succeeding Haley Barbour. Campaigned for Governor calling for lower taxes, voter-ID requirements, a ban on gay marriage and civil unions, tougher laws against drug use, implementation of charter schools, and an "absolute right" to gun ownership. Opposes 2010 health care reform ("Obamacare"), illegal immigration, and abortion rights — he pledged during his campaign to help overturn Roe v. Wade, and endorsed a failed anti-abortion ballot initiative that would have legally defined fertilized eggs as human beings with full civil rights. As Lieutenant Governor under Barbour, Bryant oversaw legislative redistricting that was later deemed gerrymandering and rejected by a federal court.